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| BEAUTY LAUNCHPAD | NOVEMBER 2018
S
tylist Kristin Rankin has always welcomed clients of all stripes
at her Toronto-based salon, but it wasn't until she serviced a
transgender woman that she realized this isn't the case for every
stylist. When the client confessed that a new cut made her feel like
a woman for the fi rst time—and that she was often nervous about or
disappointed with past salon experiences—Rankin recognized a need
for change. "When I did some research and talked to the LGBTQ
community, including youth, I realized we needed to facilitate safer
spaces in salons," she explains. "It's incredible how discriminating our
industry can be without even realizing it."
To fl ip the script on old-guard gender politics, Rankin launched the Dress
Code Project in 2017, reaching out to her inner circle to gauge interest—and
was soon overwhelmed by the impassioned response from industry pros who
wanted to join the effort. Now, the organization boasts 160-plus salons in fi ve
countries, all of which provide non-gender-specifi c washrooms and pledge
that staff members act as allies to the community. Salons receive a gender-
affi rming salon package that offers tips on redefi ning the consultation process
(i.e. avoiding identifi ers like male or female), while clients can search an online
directory of LGBTQ-friendly spaces. "Ultimately, we want to create awareness
so people realize gender discrimination is a problem in salons," Rankin
concludes. "Safer spaces and equal services should be available for everyone."
Live & Learn/Giving Back
COURTESY
OF
KRISTIN
RANKIN
The Dress Code Project aims to rally an
alliance of salons and stylists around a
shared commitment to creating safer spaces
for the LGBTQ community.
—TRACY MORIN
JOIN THE MOVEMENT
Breaking
the Code
T
a
s
fo
Rowan
is
one
of
Kristin
Rankin's
transgender
clients
who
inspires
her
work
with
the
Dress
Code
Project.
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
The Dress Code Project (DCP) has several
irons in the fire to help revolutionize
salons' approach to gender:
• Using the hashtag #lengthnotgender
on social media, Rankin urges salons
to rethink their gender-based haircut
pricing.
• The Hair Has No Gender campaign
solicits real-life experiences by asking
stylists and clients what a haircut means
to them.
• The volunteer-led Gender-Free Haircut
Club gifts free cuts to LGBTQ youth in
DCP-certified salons.
• DCP has aligned with Kevin.Murphy and
the It Gets Better Project to spread
awareness about in-salon discrimination.
I'm a transgender woman and, growing up, I never
felt as though I had autonomy over my hair and had
a lot of trauma linked with getting my hair cut. The
Dress Code Project and salons that are on board with
creating safer spaces for LGBTQ folks ensure that
nobody has to feel uncomfortable or have a haircut
they don't want."
—ROWAN, A CLIENT OF KRISTIN RANKIN
dresscodeproject.com @thedresscodeproject Dress Code Project @drsscdprjct